Supply Chain Research

Protests by teachers have closed the rail lines run by Ferromex and Kansas City Southern into the Mexican ports of Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas since Jan. 14. Both have warned of knock-on effects to the rest of their networks. The two ports handled $59.6 billion of imports excluding the U.S. in the 12 months to Nov. 30. The largest industries importing through the ports – which may face disruptions due to the rail blockage – include autos with $7.76 billion of shipments – led by General Motors, Mazda and Kia. Others include power generation equipment, consumer electronics and TV compon...